J'en Suis

Reviewer: Anna

J'en Suis is a romantic comedy with lots of misunderstandings and confusions. Roy Dupuis plays an architect who is completely un-economical and often spends more than he has. (Among other things, a designer sadle for his daughter's birthday, even though he doesn't have the money for it. The girl is maybe 6... ) I love J'en Suis, probably because it was my first contact with Roy Dupuis as something completely different from Michael. He laughs and smiles a lot, he wears happy (but crazy) clothes and his hair is curly and messy.

The movie starts with a game of Greek-Roman wrestling between Dominique (RD) and Pierre, his colleague. It is mixed with the opening titles, and quite beautifully shot. Both men are wearing tight little wrestling outfits, and you can see lots of muscles flexing... ;-) As if that wasn't enough, we get to follow them into the shower afterwards, and yes -- we get to se RD nekkid. ;-)

When they get back to the office after working out, they find that all their things are being repossessed because they haven't paid their bills. Dominique and Pierre discuss their possibilities and Dominique says that his wife can't handle a financial crisis, so they can't go into bankruptcy. Finally they decide to make a deal with their creditors and try to pay back the money in the next year. This is really were the story begins.

Dominique sends his wife, Maude, off on a trip to Mexico -- it has already been paid, so she might as well go, while he stays behind and to sort things out. The kids go to their grand parents. Dominique needs money, but he will not accept just any employment. It has to be the right kind, and in the right place. To get some money fast he decides to sell a beloved antique piece of furniture. The antique dealer understands that Dominique has an unusual talent for finding antiques, and asks him out to dinner. During the dinner they discuss a possible job opening, the dealer (Etienne) reveals that he is gay, and that he thinks Dominique is too. He makes it clear that he will only hire a gay person for this job. Dominique wants the job, so he indicates that he is.

Dominique is thrown into a world were gay support gay and straight is considered wrong. He is sent to buy new clothes (he did not look gay enough, and a potential customer complained...) in a totally crazy store. We get to see RD like never before... In a tutu, in hotpants and in a thong... He looks confused at first, but ends up dancing with the shop assistants. He comes out with lots of bags, wearing completely different clothes than before.

After the shopping spree he goes to another potential customer, a dealer named Victor, who he met at an auction earlier. It is obvious that Victor *likes* him, and there is a hysterical scene in the bedroom, involving a nude sculpture, a water bed and lots of water... When Dominique gets back to Etienne with the sculpture he finds out that Victor is Etienne's boyfriend, the sculpture was a gift from him, and he now is certain he was dumped. Dominique discusses this problem with Pierre and they decide that he should present a boyfriend to avoid future problems with Victor. They ask a drama student, Hugo, at the school where Pierre is working to play the part.

In the middle of all this Maude comes back from Mexico. She finds the sculpture in their living room, and also flowers and a card from "Victor". Maude wonders what is going on, and when Hugo comes to the house to show his outfit for an art exhibit they have been invited to, she and Dominique have a fight. She throws him out on the street, thinking he may have turned gay during her absence. Dominique goes to Pierre's house and gets drunk.

Meanwhile, Hugo got a job out of town and is not coming to the exhibit, so Pierre will have to go in his place.

They arrive at the exhibit, which is pretty cool, because everybody is wearing clothes in red/purple/black. It is a party for the in-crowd of the gay community, and the art is strange to say the least? The exhibit is broadcast on TV, and poor Maude catches a glimpse of Dominique and Pierre, doing their best to be convincing as a gay couple. She is now convinced that Dominique is gay.

The party has another guest who is surprised to see Dominique with a boyfriend - his mother. But for some reason she is not upset, she just thinks that he finally has become a *real* man, and that Maude is too unsophisticated for him. (Nice mother, huh?)

One day when Dominique is walking around, pondering his problems, he sees a strange little wooden figure in a junk store. He buys it and two others for $40, which turns out to be a real bargain?

Pierre calls Maude to assure her that there is nothing between him and Dominique, and that Dominique still loves him. He is in the background, instructing Pierre in what to say. He suggests that she and Dominique should go away for a romantic weekend together, to mend their relationship. When they do, all of a sudden Dominique gets nervous and can't "perform"? Next we see Dominique sitting alone and naked on a rock by the lake. Maude tells him that she can't help him with his problems, and that he should get help from someone else. (She still thinks he is gay.)

Next, Dominique and Pierre are practicing wrestling again, and that it is hinted that Dominique all of a sudden feels a reaction "down there". This makes him doubt his sexuality and think that he has become gay. He gets upset with Pierre when he makes jokes in the shower.

Etienne wants to support Dominique for the position as president of the Antique Dealer's Guild, so he invites him and Pierre to the country house for a weekend, to meet "the right people". Dominique's mother is also invited. After dinner the first night Pierre excuses him self with a headache and goes back to their room, where he somehow managed to sneak his girlfriend in. When Dominique comes up they are in the middle of having sex, and he has to listen to it, while trying to get some sleep on the couch. Just as they are finishing up he gets tired of it and leaves the room. All the other guests are gathered outside, and applaud him because they think he's a beast (Pierre and his girl are loud lovers?).

After the weekend Etienne gives Dominique an assignment to re-decorate the Prime Minister's apartment, along with a female decorator. Etienne feels bad that Dominique will have to work with a woman, but it turns out that she is gorgeous and talented. After shopping for furniture with Rose (the decorator) for a day, Dominique confesses that he is not gay, and that he is very attracted to her. She thinks he is in denial with his nature, so she turns him down.

He goes back to Pierre's house and tells him the whole thing - that he had problems with "performing" with Maude, and that he actually felt something when he kissed Rose. Pierre says that if he really felt something with her, he should go for it? "Go Terminator, go!" Dominique rushes back to Rose's hotel, and convinces her that he really wants her.

In the meantime Maude comes to visit Pierre. She wants to see Dominique, she has decided to work things out with him because she loves him and nobody else. Pierre takes her to Rose's hotel, where she switches places with the room service girl who is bringing champagne to Rose's room. She comes into the room just as Dominique is preparing the bed (Rose is in the bathroom), and when they see each other they start kissing passionately. They stumble out of Rose's room (still kissing) and into the small room where the hotel maids keep the linen. We get to see them do wonderful things with a laundry cary ;-), and Rose invites Pierre to share the champagne?

Etienne nearly dies from a heart attack when Dominique confesses that he is not gay. He orders him to leave the house, and is very upset. A little later he has obviously changed his mind, and comes to Dominique's house to ask him to stay as a partner in the business. He meets Maude and the children, and is instantly charmed by them.

Next we're back in Etienne's country house. Dominique is talking to the minister if culture about the wooden figures he bought. It turns out that they are 25.000 years old, and worth a fortune. The Canadian government wants the figures to stay in the country, so they are prepared to pay what Dominique asks for them. Suddenly their financial problems are solved.

The minister of culture wants to hire Dominique for an assignment as an architect, but Etienne stops him by introducing Maude to him. When the minister realizes that Dominique has a wife and two children he takes back his offer. Dominique confirms that he is straight but, after a short pause and the cuuuuuutest smile you have ever seen, introduces him to his friend, Pierre, who ends the movie by saying "J'en Suis" - which means "I am" (gay).

This is a great movie with a lot of laughs and cute moments. I strongly recommend any Roy Dupuis fan to watch it. It gives you everything you can wish for - the man is gorgeous, he speaks French (which makes him even more gorgeous ;-)) and it is great entertainment all the way through.